Atlanta’s metal band Sevendust is currently touring in support of their latest Kill the Flaw.
The band’s made themselves a household name with three consecutive RIAA gold certified albums and have sold millions of albums
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Atlanta’s famed heavy metal band Sevendust (Lajon Witherspoon, John Connolly, Clint Lowery, Vince Hornsby, and Morgan Rose) just stopped by Mill City Nights in Minneapolis, touring in support of their latest record Kill the Flaw.

Red Tide Rising

Denver’s Red Tide Rising (not to be confused with Red Sun Rising) opened up the show, playing a couple of tracks from their third album The Rising... however their industrial metal cover version of Tears For Fears’ ‘Mad World’ was probably the highlight of their 30-minute set for me. You can tell the band have a deep love for the song (or at least the Gary Jules version which appeared in Donnie Darko... which you tell singer Matthew Whiteman loved that movie via his skeleton shirt) and even did a weird mashup using Howard Beale’s “Mad As Hell” speech from Network (1976) to precede the song.

Crobot

Next up was Pennsylvania’s Crobot, currently signed to Wind-Up Records. The band’s music (a bit funk, a bit southern rock, a bit hard) didn’t quite sound like Sevendust’s heavy metal sound. The band (Brandon Yeagley, Chris Bishop, Jake Figueroa and Paul Figueroa) used that to their advantage, by winning over the audience with their Matthew McConaughey’s “alright, alright, alright” charm and singer (and harmonica player) Brandon Yeagley moved and dance like a hypnotizing snake.

The band actually previewed some songs from a forthcoming album Welcome To Fat City, expected to land on September 23, 2016, including ‘Easy Money’ (played as second song), new single ‘Not For Sale’ (third song), and the title track ‘Welcome To Fat City’.

Unfortunately, their set was plagued with crackling audio problem (which you can hear when Yeagley hit the high notes).
The sound engineers didn’t actually fix the problem until midset with ‘Blood On The Snow’.

With millions of albums sold since their self-titled debut (produced by Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French), Sevendust blew away the heavy metal / trash / alternative metal scene in the late 90’s with hits like ‘Black’, ‘My Ruin’, and ‘Bitch’.

For various reasons (death in the family tragedies), primary band members leaving (particularly Clint Lowery), the band stepped away from the music scene... only to come back stronger with Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, the title which perfectly described the band’s rollercoaster story.

With their latest Kill the Flaw, the album is really a testimony of the band’s struggles. That old saying, “What doesn’t kill you” is reflected in singer Lajon Witherspoon’s description of the title of the album: “We're just trying to kill those flaws. People are trying to keep us down and I think it's made us stronger. The song ‘Thank You’ kind of goes back to that. It's the angst, to strive and to motivate us to continue.”

It’s that hopeful attitude that kept the band going, and, of course, Sevendust opened their show at Mill City Nights with that message of ‘Thank You’.

The crowd started moshing shortly after ‘Shine’ started and continued until ‘Denial’, which was slowed down because the band stripped it down to an acoustic rendition.

There’s something to be said about Sevendust’s optimistic views, and we’re happy to see that they are still surviving after 20 years.

Looking at how young the band Modern Baseball was on stage, I could have sworn they were only 18 years old, but in fact, over 21 (noting the non-"X" on underagers
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Modern Baseball’s “The Holy Ghost Tour” made a stop at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Tuesday night.

Thin Lips

The show started with Thin Lips. These guys are a female fronted, four-piece group from Pennsylvania. Chrissy Tashjian had a very raw sounding voice that seemed to be smoothed over by the instrumentation of the rest of the group making it sound more poppy than it actually was. The whole band was great and you could feel the integrity coming off the stage. It was a bit Mixtapes mixed with a bit old school Tsunami Bomb and all wrapped up with a bow made out of the current pop-punk scene.

Tashjian was the only musician of the night to bring up the Orlando tragedy. She asked how many queers were in the room and then asked everyone else to be extra supportive of those people. The crowd didn't really need the reminder as this is the land of “Minnesota Nice” and shows up here turn into huge family reunions, but it was still nice to hear her mention in such a head-on way.

Joyce Manor

As soon as Thin Lips got off stage, the crowd started to push towards the front in anticipation for Joyce Manor. These guys are in no way, shape or form new to the scene, they've actually been around since 2008 but, due to the pop-punk revival that is going on in the music world right now, they seem to finally be getting the recognition that they deserve. It was unbelievable to see how much of the crowd was singing along to every single word of every single song these guys played. The band seemed to be feeding off the energy of the crowd as they played through a good mix of new and old songs. Joyce Manor's most recent release is Never Hungover Again out on Epitaph Records.

After Joyce Manor I ran downstairs to scope out the merch and use the bathroom. On the bathroom door was a sign that suggested that you use the bathroom that best matches what sex you identify with. Nobody said anything, nobody was snickering as they read the signs, it seemed like nobody had an issue with it (as it should be). More people were taking pictures of the sign or telling their friends how cool that is or didn't even acknowledge the signs. It was a truly beautiful sight to see. It seemed to just be for last night's show but this is now the second show I've been to where I've seen signs like this on the bathroom doors. I truly hope I keep on seeing things like this.

Modern Baseball was the headliner of the night. Their music sounds like it's straight off of their recordings but with a sense of energy that you just cannot get from listening to a CD. The other times I have seen these guys, they were the opening band. It was nice to see them get the headlining slot that they deserve.

Some of their music is great for a headlining act but some of their more emo, slow songs had me wondering if these guys were ready to be this huge headliner. It was a bit hard to pay attention through some of the songs towards the middle of their set. It's not that they were bad, they sounded great. It's just that the songs themselves are so mellow and I'm just not a mellow person. I would much rather hear a set full of their upbeat songs but I realize there's just not enough of that to fill a whole set. When it came down to it, these guys did a really good job of mixing it up between slow and fast songs and then their new and old songs.

They ended their set with my favorite song, ‘Your Graduation’. It's a song that I interpret to be about the one who got away but because you let them go. It's full of angst and emotion. It's raw and angry at times and then completely beautiful at others. It's honest and makes you feel something. It was a perfect ending to my night.

Check out Modern Baseball's new release Holy Ghost out now on Run For Cover Records.

Cruisr and Waters opened the show. Both bands were great. Their music sounded good and poppy and it got the crowd warmed up for Misterwives
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Pvris (stylized as PVRIS) is on their first headlining tour... made a stop at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on Tuesday night. The band walked onto the stage to the sound of hundreds of screeching fans. For a first headlining tour and only being a band since 2012, the sheer amount of people that came out to support this Massachusetts based rock band was more than surprising. The band seemed more than appreciative of the great turnout for a Tuesday night after a long Memorial three-day weekend.

Cruisr

The show was opened by Cruisr, an indie pop band from Philadelphia even though their music made it sound like they are from California. Their music was upbeat and had an element of surf-pop to it. Cruisr's new single ‘Take That’ came out earlier this year.

Lydia

Lydia was one of the quintessential emo/pop bands to come out in the early 2000's. They toured with bands such as Saves the Day, Armor for Sleep, and so many other bands from the genre. Lydia announced a hiatus in 2010 but returned a short year later. It was nice to see them back. Singer Leighton Antelman still had his extremely distinctive voice but the music seemed to have matured since the early 2000's. Their music was much more mellow than that of Pvris' but still full of energy.

Although the band released Run Wild in 2015, as you can see from their setlist, only a few songs from that self-confessed ‘dark album’ were played, including ‘Riverman’ and set closer ‘When It Gets Dark Out’.

Surprisingly their very early single ‘Hospital’ was included on the set, because that original recording featured guest vocalists Aaron Marsh, of Copeland fame.

The music of PVRIS is extremely unique in a way that makes them fit on every sort of line-up. They have opened up for poppy bands like The Maine and, most recently, they opened up for metalcore act Bring Me The Horizon. Regardless of what genre the headlining act was on their past tours, Pvris was able to stand out and make an impression on the generally young crowds. It was nice to see them headline a show and truly shine through their nearly hour long set.

Singer Lyndsey Gunnulfsen had the crowd hanging onto every word she sang with her beautifully smooth voice. Even though the music has a hint of straight-up pop music, Gunnulfsen's voice has a bit of edge that changes the whole mood of the music. The crowd jumped up and down to every beat of the angsty teenage anthems and then Gunnulfsen made her way between the stage and barrier, the crowd pushed as hard as they could towards the front of the stage while the parents stood back by the bar.

After playing ten songs including ‘St. Patrick’ (their first music video that they released), the crowd exited the stage but left the crowd chanting "one more song!". After a few moments the band took the stage to play their two current hit songs, ‘You and I’ and ‘My House’ both off of their debut full length White Noise (Rise Records).

Last year Danish black metal phenom, Myrkur, took us by storm with her lush, brutal melodies that blend second-wave black metal, Nordic folk music, classical instrumentation and haunting choirs.
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Behemoth didn't put on a concert last Saturday night at Mill City Nights.... they put on a show and it was nothing short of amazing.

Myrkur

Denmark's Myrkur was the opening act. There's no denying front-woman, Amalie Bruun's, immense talent. Her voice is flawless and beautiful but unfortunately, it just wasn't something I could get into last night. After hearing my friends raving about Behemoth's live show, I wanted something extreme and something in your face. Myrkur wasn't either of those things but the Amalie's talent was more than enough to keep me intrigued.

Her voice was something you couldn't turn away from. She had to microphones set up in the middle of the stage. One of them had zero distortion on it and the other one had an impressive amount of distortion on it. Regardless of what microphone she was singing in, Amalie's voice reigned supreme and shined. There were points in their set where I truly forgot that there was a band behind her. All eyes and ears were on her and what she was doing.

Apparently this is typically a one-woman project but for this tour she had a backing band. Honestly, she completely controlled everything and the band was lost in the background but I don't think even some of the most talented metal musicians could hold a candle to Amalie. Her voice was truly jaw dropping.

M is the debut studio album by Myrkur, and is available now on Relapse Records. The record was named the Best Hard Rock Album of 2015 by Gaffa.

Behemoth was the only other band to play last night and, honestly, I don't think I would have been able to handle much more.

Their live show is something that has to be seen to truly understand. The amount of energy this Polish black metal band has is something that is impossible to put into words. The crowd was just as intense as the band and, even though it looked violent as all hell, everyone was having a great time seeing this legendary band live.

As I said, their music is dark and their live show definitely matched that. There are underlying Satanic themes to it and the imagery that was showed on the screens on stage was the stuff nightmares are made of. The members of the band wear makeup that gives you chills due to the creepiness factor. There were a few costume changes one of which had the band in these masks with creepy horns coming off the top of their heads. They barely moved while wearing the masks. It gave me chills. It was scary and yes, nightmare inducing, but it was absolutely perfect and everything you would ever want in a Polish death metal band's show.

These guys have been around since the early 1990's so they had a great deal of material to choose from. They did a great job of playing a bit of the old and a bit of the new. Even with a new album that came out just two years ago, they didn't focus on just that one album. The crowd really enjoyed the old hits but their energy stayed high throughout the whole set.

Even though the music was dark and over all very low and bass-y. The talent of the four members shined through all of the theatrics. The sweeping guitar solos could not be hidden and the power behind the drummer was absolutely amazing and was highlighted during a quick drum solo while the other members applied red paint to their faces.

The crowd loved every second of the show. There was a guy in the mosh pit that was ripping up a bible (I must admit, that's a first for me), and every time singer Adam Darski moved towards the crowd to bless the crowd with the "holy smoke", or to offer out the body of Christ (apparently these guys are marketing their own little crackers... you know the ones you get at church) the crowd would push forward just to get closer to Adam. The crowd was into it and, even though I knew nothing about this band, I found myself completely immersed in their live show.

So I'm definitely not going to start performing any satanic rituals or anything but last night completely opened my eyes to a whole subculture that I had only heard about in passing and seen in pictures. As scary as the crowd and the musicians looked, I felt just as safe last night as I do at any of the generic hardcore shows I go to.

Behemoth’s latest album is called The Satanist and is available now on Nuclear Blast and Metal Blade Records/Mystic Production.

Santigold (previously known as Santogold), became "Santagold" recently when she gave us a gift of letting us know that her third album 99¢ will be released worldwide on February 26th via Atlantic Records. ...

Santigold just played her sold out show at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis last night (April 16th) as part of her “We Buy Gold” Tour (in support of her third studio 99¢ album). Her last Minneapolis appearance was in support of her debut album Santogold, when she played First Avenue in May 2009.

DonMonique

Opening up the show was Brooklyn’s DonMonique. Her small frame, attire, and attitude, reminded me of Left Eye or Lil’ Kim. The young rapper (barely of drinking age of 21) is joined on stage by a DJ, and the two played slightly less than 20 minutes. Songs on their set included her collaborative song with Slayter called “Chrome Heater” and her set closer “Jada”. Before they left the stage, the DJ played “Free Love” and DonMonique twerked off the stage...

With a shortened opening act, this left fans waiting about 50 minutes before Santigold would take the stage. Personally speaking, it shouldn’t have taken that long...

Once Santigold came on stage, it was one of the best live shows, complete with stage props, synchronized video, trashy bargain-basement/commercialized/product theme, costume changes, bubbles, etc. All of her songs had specific choreographed dance moves, courtesy of her two dancers. The dancers (and Santigold) would sometime take a few minutes backstage for costume changes ... which meant that her keyboardist, drummer, and DJ would play extended instrumental medleys until the singer came back.

Unlike other typical carefully planned shows that required costume changes, instruments, stage props, etc., Santigold’s “We Buy Gold” shows are not all the same from city to city. The way they were able to change their setlist night after night, suggest to me that the singer was flexible and adaptive.

Santigold (with fans)

During “Creator”, her other early hit song, she invited some fans on stage to help dance with her. Mostly young women rushed to the stage entrance to volunteer.

Early in their set, Santigold played her biggest hit “L.E.S. Artistes”, causing some of her fans who came late some grief (these fans obviously thought she would play it last or for the encore.)

A few memorable songs came near the end, including a Jay-Z cover “Brooklyn Go Hard”, which she dedicated to her “hometown”. The Kanye West-produced song actually sampled Santigold’s song “Shove It” and came out in 2008 as an exclusive download available via subscription to (RED)Wire (Bono's Product Red organization). Obviously, Santigold worked it out a medley of “Brooklyn Go Hard”, followed by her original “Shove It”.

Setlist

She ended her set with “Can't Get Enough of Myself”, a song that she said was “All about me!”

Of course, fans started to chant “Santigold! Santigold! Santigold!” and she came back her version of Major Lazer’s “Hold the Line” (a song that actually featured Santigold and Mr. Lexx), followed by “Big Mouth”.

Peter Murphy is an English musician best known as the vocalist for Bauhaus. He went on to have a lengthy solo career, having released eight studio albums since 1986 ...
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“The Godfather of Goth” Peter Murphy sold out his Mill City Nights show in a rare Minneapolis appearance as part of his “Stripped” tour.

Murphy semi-regularly play in major cities, such as New York and Los Angeles (such as seeing him at Halloween Ball 2012 and Miracula Halloween), but the English singer rarely extend his shows to Minneapolis. In fact, his last MN show was eight years ago (16 June 2008), according to thefader.com with opener Ali Eskandarian (who was murdered in 2013). Prior to 2008, Murphy headlined First Avenue for his Dust tour in 2002.

Although no opening acts were listed at the venue’s website, we’ve seen enough shows to know that DJ Jake Rudh was handling the music video choices, mostly of the 80’s era (with one exception: David Bowie’s last video “Lazarus” before his death).

The audience who came to the special seated show at Mill City Nights were all longtime, dedicated fans. This is important to note, because this was one of the most behaved, most respective crowd we’ve seen in a long time. Fans were clinging on to every lyric sung and watching intently to Murphy’s dramatic hand gestures.... despite the dimly lit show.

Joining Peter Murphy on stage for the “Stripped Tour” were two friends (both New Yorkers): Emilio China (from Zef Noise) and John Andrews (from Loudboy). The two had the impossible task of reproducing music and effects that a normal full band made from Murphy’s entire discography.

They did a good job, with sometime Murphy joining them on acoustic (on “All We Ever Wanted Was Everything”) or melodica (on “Hollow Hills”)... but you can tell that Murphy doesn’t feel that comfortable playing live. Sometime it seemed like he’s noodling and trying to find the right note.

Setlist

As you can see from his setlist (which does not list encores), he had wedged in three Bauhaus songs in the middle of his set. Those songs were well-received... as for most of the well-known songs.

One of the interesting choice of songs was a cover of David Bowie’s “The Bewlay Brothers”, done early in the set. Right before the song played, Murphy introduced it as, “David Bowie died... but not really,” followed by a joking stab at Lady Gaga for her Bowie tribute. Murphy only wished Gaga would cover “a proper tune”. “The Bewlay Brothers” was the song that Murphy said he’s always wanted to play.

If you were wondering why Bowie meant so much to Murphy, you have to remember that the two were probably friends, at least like-minded colleagues, because the two appeared in The Hunger (the opening sequenced featured Bauhaus singing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”). To tie it back to Gaga, she would later appear in American Horror Story, doing her version of The Hunger (but using as She Wants Revenge’s “Tear You Apart” as soundtrack).

Obviously his biggest hit song “Cuts You Up” was saved near the end of the encore. As soon as the violin notes were played, the entire audience basically went nuts. Murphy could have ended with that song and left everyone satiated, but the song was followed up with “Your Face”, a slower song to help bring the audience down.

The audience, still doing a standing ovation, would be rewarded with a second encore, this time for “I'll Fall With Your Knife”.

If you attend a show and interested in a personal meet & greet, you can purchase it at the merch stand. The price also includes a unique, limited CD.

If you missed Yellowcard at Van's Warped Tour or their appearance at the Varsity early in January, the Jacksonville pop-punk band is back in the Twin Cities - along with Memphis May Fire and Emarosa.
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Canadian post-hardcore Silverstein played at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis on March 1st.

Rarity

The show started out with a punch in the face. Rarity literally made me take a step back. Where have these guys been all my life?! This Canadian band has taken the "best band I've never heard of before but got to see on this bender" award. Their energy was great for an opening band that knew majority of the audience had never heard of them before. They gave us a show and made it a good one. Half way into their first song, I want the world to know this band because they were just that amazing.

Their music was much more on the pop-punk side of things than the other bands last night but deep down, pop-punk music is where my allegiances lay. The crowd didn't seem to mind that they were a bit different than the rest of the line-up. The crowd was excited and moving for this virtually unknown band. Although they couldn't sing along and they didn't know what was coming next, the crowd was doing their best to keep up with the energy radiating from the stage. Like I said, I had never heard of these guys before but can't wait to see what the future holds for them.

Being As An Ocean

Being As An Ocean was the number one reason why I wanted to go to the show last night. These guys completely killed it the last time I saw them. Last Tuesday was no different. Joel, the singer, was up to the same antics as last time. He spent maybe one song on stage and the rest of the time in the crowd getting face to face with the people he was instantly surrounded by. I wasn't ready for it last time; I was ready for it this time. I was a bit afraid that it wouldn't have them same effect on me that it did last time. I mean, I knew what was coming, it was no surprise. But it was still just as powerful as the last time I saw him.

I won't go into all the details of their set only because it is a lot like the last time but I will say this: Joel should be a freaking motivational speaker. The way he can command a crowd in unreal. When he talks or sings, the crowd is dead silent other than a few people singing or chanting along. You see, their music mixes spoken word with heavy music. It's two of my favorite things and Being As An Ocean pulls it off perfectly. Joel has a lot to say but picks his words wisely not only in his lyrics but also when he talks in between songs. Their music makes me feel something that most bands can't make me feel but I can't put it into words. Being As An Ocean is, hands down, in my top ten live bands of all time... and I've seen a hell of a lot of bands much bigger than these guys. Next time they come through your town, I beg you to go see them.

Emarosa

Between Rarity and Being As An Ocean was Emarosa. These guys are yet another band who had a completely insane live show last night along with great music. Singer Bradley Walden was completely out of control in all of the right ways. He started the show by jumping into the modest crowd where he proceeds to roll around on the ground, get piggy back rides from random people in the crowd, good god this guy was everywhere. Even when he was on stage he was insane. He would crawl behind the drum set and then jump over the whole kit... drummer and all. It was impossible to take your eyes off of Bradley because you wanted to know what he was going to do next.

Outside of their live show, Emarosa was musically amazing. The first vocalist of this band was Johnny Craig who has one of the most recognizable voices in the emo world. He is able to hit some of the highest high notes and some of the lowest low notes with no hesitation. The range is ridiculous and the smoothness of his voice went down like a great shot of whiskey. Johnny Craig left the band to focus on other endeavors and I kinda of stopped listening to the band. Johnny's voice is what made it what it was and in my mind, there was no one else who could do the band justice. Boy, was I wrong. Bradley was as good, if not better, than Johnny vocally. I couldn't believe my ears. What a great performance from a great band full of talent and energy. I can't wait to see them again and I hope it's soon and as a headliner so they are given a full set to truly let loose.

The main reason we were all at the show last night was Silverstein. These guys have been around forever. I still remember the first time I saw them. A lot has changed since the days of my dad dropping me off and picking me up from shows but Silverstein has not which was more than refreshing to hear and see.

They played everything from the new stuff to the very first song on their very first album (which just so happens to be my favorite song by these guys and a song that defined my angsty teenage years). The look is the same, the skinny black jeans with the bomber jacket and the "emo" haircut and the lyrics are still just as angsty and depressingly beautiful but seeing them live means so much more now than it did when I was young and just trying to hang out with friends instead of focusing on the experience of a live concert. I may not listen to bands like Silverstein everyday anymore but they had such an impact on my life at such a pivotal time that every time I go and see them, I instantly remember all of the words and I instantly remember how to move at a show.It's truly amazing that a band like this has stood the test of time and stayed so true to the band they were when they came out over ten years ago.

Recently the "builders" vehicle was in a wreck and the kind folks of the RX Bandits helped with transportation of the equipment and band members until the situation was remedied. …

Circa Survive played to a packed house last night at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis as part of the 10 year anniversary tour of their album Juturna. The amount of energy in the crowd and on the stage was incalculable. The amount of love people have for this band is unreal.

As soon as Anthony Green, singer of Circa Survive, took the stage, the crowd went nuts. It was one big, hot, sweaty cluster of a crowd and it was perfect. There were kids going absolutely crazy. They were yelling, no, shrieking, the lyrics right back into the band's face. People were reaching as far as they could just on the off chance that they would be able to touch Anthony's hand or get a drop of his sweat on them. You see, Anthony Green is worshipped.

Anthony has a voice that sticks with you. It's a high tenor and it is beautiful. It's one of those voices that you can't describe with words. You can try to sing along to it but you're going to sound like an idiot. It's too high for most people but for Anthony, it's perfect and he does it effortlessly and flawlessly. It makes you feel things you didn't know you could feel. In one song you feel like screaming your lungs out but within minutes, you are being serenaded by Anthony's amazing voice and you're ready to bawl your eyes out. Seeing them play these songs live gives you the same feelings and feeling that at a live show means the band is doing it right.

The fact that Anthony was able to hit every note live left me astonished. The fact that the band was dead on and perfect left me speechless. The fact that I felt that much over a band that I don't obsess over left me overwhelmed.

Citizen

Citizen opened up the show. They were pretty good, unfortunately, their set was quick and I really don't know how much of the crowd noticed there was even a band on stage. Other than one random crowd surfer during their set nobody really seemed to be paying attention. Citizen seemed to get up, play their songs and then disappear. What a shame. I would love to see more from these guys and hope they come back soon.

Rx Bandits

Rx Bandits, the other opener, what can be said about them? I love them. I have forever. The last time I saw these guys was my freshman year of college and I'm not saying how long ago that was but let's just go with it's been awhile. They were great. Rx Bandits brings a bit of reggae to the scene and it's perfect. The music is chill but refreshing. Unfortunately, much like when Citizen was playing, the crowd didn't really seem to care. Again, what a shame, but I get it, it's gotta be really rough being on tour with a band as iconic as Circa Survive. It's obvious the crowd is there for them and them only.

That being said, both Citizen and Rx Bandits are amazingly talented bands so make sure you check them out and give them some support. Hopefully they will both do their own headlining tour soon and make a stop up here so I can see them more in their element!

I left the show astonished, speechless and overwhelmed by Circa Survive and the night in general. I smiled the whole way home.

Finally Kid In The Attic (not to be confused with Kids in the Hall) will squeeze in.... Usually when I see that four bands are on the bill (at a regular show), the first band comes on
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The New Love Tour, featuring headliner Allison Weiss, just came through town last Wednesday, October 28th, at the Nether Bar (inside Mill City Nights).

Unfortunately, due to conflicting concert schedules (it's Rocktober!), we were unable to provide coverage for Weiss.

Kid In The Attic

However, we are happy to report of the three openers, starting with Kid In The Attic (aka Maia Macdonald). Fans who showed up early were respectful and saw down in front, leaving a good view for people in the back.

KITA played a few tracks from their latest Qué Lástima, which came out earlier this Summer via Rhyme and Reason Records.
She ended her set with what I thought I heard as "Minefield Daughter".

Winter

Up next was Los Angeles-based Winter (not to be confused with UK's Winter or UK brother/duo Winter).
The misfortunate thing about this band is their name, which is a common word and is confusing with various existing Winter bands (also the Winterlings, Winter Braves, Winter Sounds, Jacky Winter, Wintersleep, etc.)

This dream pop/shoegaze group is led by singer/guitarist Samira Winter, along with guitarist Matt Hogan, bassist David Yorr, and drummer Garren Orr.

The first thing Winter did was encouraged everyone at the show to stand up. Their 30-min set featured songs about relationship, addiction (to love), drugs, tattoos, "typical" teenagers, and, of course, the California sun (which was missing on this slushy snow night).

The band is really young, and I got the feeling that the band just graduated from high school. Their song, which they wrote as "High" on their setlist, was all about being an outcast (and trying to blend in) in high school.

Setlist

The last band we saw was Mal Blum, from New York City.
The trio (featuring singer/guitarist Mal Blum, bassist Audrey and drummer Steph Barker) actually wrote more songs on their setlist than time allowed to play (especially because all the bands started a little late). With five albums to choose from, you can see why they had a problem choosing songs.
They only chose a few from their latest You Look A Lot Like Me (Don Giovanni Records), with the obvious two singles "Better Go" and "Robert Frost".

The band was having a lot of fun goofing off on stage... even though Mal Blum's music is pretty depressing. They had some issues, with Mal Blum constantly complaining about being shocked by her microphone. Headliner Allison Weiss even tried to give some advice with no luck. Eventually, Mal switched mics with Audrey, to no results. In the end, I think someone needs to give Mal Blum a pair of good anti-static shoes for Christmas.

Once again, apology to Allison Weiss. You can read about her last appearance in Minneapolis in 2013, which Emily wrote, "Allison Weiss was very engaging throughout her set, asking the audience, “Does anyone in here like to feel?” and making humorous comments about the television show “The OC” and the mocking glare of the venue’s glowing restroom sign. Weiss played a collection of earnest pop originals before dropping a pretty great cover of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.”"

Show up early to check out British rock/blues trio RavenEye (singer/guitarist Oli Brown, bassist Aaron Spiers, and drummer Kev Hickman). After a massive successful tour in Europe, Slash extended his invitation
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Legendary guitarist Slash, featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, recently played a sold out show at Mill City Nights in Minneapolis last Wednesday, October 7th.

RavenEye

This was RavenEye's first American show!

Looking at the photo of the trio (left to right: drummer Kev Hickman, singer/guitarist Oli Brown, and bassist Aaron Spiers) standing triumphantly before the incredibly packed venue, it said it all: the band is incredibly happy to be playing in the United States and the audience is showing signs of approval.

At times, their music, combined with Oli Brown's vocals, sounded like they were The Black Keys, which is a big bonus if you are a fan of blues rock/southern garage rock.
They had a lot of energy during their 40-min set, having fun 'guitar battles' during "Breaking Out" to an epic drumming/jamming on their set closer "You Got It".

Almost all the songs from their debut Breaking Out EP, available via Rook Recordings, plus some extra unreleased songs.

Myles Kennedy & Slash

As for Slash, since the breakup/hiatus of the supergroup Velvet Revolver in 2008, he's released three solo albums, Slash (2010), Apocalyptic Love (2012), and the latest World on Fire (2014). The latter album was recorded with singer/guitarist Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge, and the rhythm section named The Conspirators (Brent Fitz and Todd Kerns). NOTE: Kerns, demonstrated that he is actually a great singer, in addition to providing the bass, as he took over lead vocals for "Doctor Alibi" and "Welcome to the Jungle" midway into their set.

The current US tour is actually an extension of their "World on Fire" tour, and talking to everyone at Mill City Nights, this was perhaps one of the smallest venue we would ever see Slash... and was no surprise that the show sold out in a matter of minutes.

As expected, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist included several GNR classics throughout their set ("Nightrain", "You Could Be Mine", "Welcome to the Jungle", "Civil War", "Rocket Queen", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City").

Highlight of the show has to go to "Rocket Queen", when Slash played an extended epic guitar solo. What we mean is that this is the mother of guitar solos: it ran about 20 minutes. This guitar solo really served two things: (1) Slash is demonstrating why he is one of the greatest guitarists of our time, and (2) this is a nice 15 minute break for the rest of the band to go backstage and refresh themselves.

Fans who stuck around were rewarded with an amazing encore of "Paradise City". Singer Myles Kennedy knew didn't have to do much singing, instead letting the fans just singing/finishing the lyrics. Slash, for his part, did his signature move of holding and playing the guitar on his back. If that wasn't enough, two cannons blasted a ton of confetti into the audience ... for a very satisfying ending to the nearly two hour long set.